Hugh Freeze provided no gray area when talking about Auburn’s quarterback competition at the Regions Tradition celebrity pro-am.

“Jackson’s our No. 1,” Freeze said, giving the starting quarterback title to the Oklahoma transfer who joined Auburn in January.

That declaration from the head coach isn’t a surprise either.

Jackson Arnold took the first team reps at quarterback for Auburn during spring practice and was one of the Tigers’ top priorities in the transfer portal this offseason. Despite being the most notable, though, Arnold wasn’t the only quarterback Auburn signed since the 2024 season ended.

Five-star freshman Deuce Knight and Stanford transfer Ashton Daniels both signed with the Tigers, retooling a quarterback room that lost all four scholarship players from last season.

That retooling isn’t necessarily a bad thing either. Auburn’s quarterback play has been inconsistent at best the since Freeze arrived prior to the 2023 season. Payton Thorne was the primary starter both years, but neither he, nor the backups that got chances behind him reached the level Auburn needed to turn a handful of close losses into wins.

While Freeze is confident in Arnold as Auburn’s starter for now, he wants to see the Knight and Daniels challenge him.

“Do I want Jackson feeling like it’s his and him getting that confidence and swagger? Yes. Do I want him looking over his shoulder and think, ‘Dang Deuce and Ashton had two really good practices today?’ Yes. I want both,” Freeze said.

Daniels comes to Auburn with two years of Power Four starting experience, playing in the PAC 12 and ACC at Stanford. His numbers don’t jump off the page — throwing for 3,947 yards, 21 touchdowns and 20 interceptions in those two years — but he gives Auburn another experienced option who’s versatile.

Knight, a true freshman, doesn’t have any college experience, but the staff seems to be high on his potential. He received plenty of reps during spring practice with Daniels not yet on campus, and got mostly good reviews from Freeze and the rest of the staff.

Freeze has yet to indicate who is the No. 2 behind Arnold, but both players make a solid case going into fall camp. Knight may have the edge for now, considering he has already practiced with the team, putting Daniels slightly behind.

When talking about the group overall, Freeze said Auburn has one of the better quarterback rooms in the SEC. Having two quarterbacks with starting experience is a luxury not many other teams in the SEC have. Freeze hopes that can work to the group’s advantage, even if the competition is decided for now.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports forAL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at[email protected]m